The Casting of Frank Stone is an upcoming collaborative project between Supermassive Games and Behaviour Interactive. It’s poised to be a single-player entry set in the expanded world of Dead by Daylight, all set for a 2024 release. The upcoming Dead by Daylight spinoff has been described as “a gruesome mystery where every decision matters, shaping the story and its outcome.” Although Directive 8020 was earlier expected to be the first installment of The Dark Pictures Anthology Season 2 and therefore Supermassive's next project, the release window in the recent trailer for The Casting of Frank Stone indicates that it might be coming first.

Its story revolves around the main antagonist, Frank, a psychopathic serial killer who lives in Cedar Hills. A group of friends visit the Oregon steel mill where they end up falling into Frank Stone's domain. The interactive storytelling format of this Dead by Daylight spinoff, where player choices significantly affect the storyline and outcomes, is similar to that of games in The Dark PicturesAnthology Season 1, as one would expect from a Supermassive project. However, this story is very different from the anticipated direction for TDPA Season 2, which is expected to explore a new space-focused narrative, owing to the post-credits scene at the end of The Devil in Me.

the casting of frank stone
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The Shift in Release Schedule for The Dark Pictures Anthology Season 2

The last game in The Dark Pictures Anthology Season 1, The Devil in Me, gave its community a lot to interpret about the first upcoming game of The Dark Pictures Anthology Season 2 (Directive 8020) through its post-credit scene. This Dark Pictures Season 2 premiere was expected to be available to play for the community by 2024. However, since Directive 8020 neither has an official release date nor a trailer yet, it's safe to assume that The Casting of Frank Stone, which has released two trailers — a first-look reveal and a gameplay trailer — and is listed for 2024 release, might be coming first. By extension, it’s possible that Directive 8020 might be taking a backseat for a bit. The exact reasons for the release rearrangement from the studios' end, however, are not yet clear.

How The Devil in Me Teased Directive 8020 As the First Game of The Dark Pictures Anthology Season 2

The Devil in Me's teaser unveiled a somewhat disturbing scenario during its post-credit scene. It showed a damaged space shuttle in deep space in front of a weird-looking planet named Tau Ceti F. To add to the spookiness of it all, there was audio playing in the background talking about someone's current situation and being humanist as the last hope.

This is followed by the flabbergasted voice of a man who is being killed by a woman named Sims. The post-credit scene ends by broadcasting and confirming the upcoming game of the Dark Pictures Anthology Season 2’s first game, Directive 8020. There was no mention of The Casting of Frank Stone, which is why Supermassive Games choosing to release the latter first is ultimately a surprise, as it was a previously unannounced game in a completely different franchise.

Directive 8020 is an actual directive used by NASA, regarding "Biological Contamination control for outbound and inbound planetary spacecraft."

Does The Casting of Frank Stone Set the Tone for The Dark Pictures Anthology Season 2?

The extended wait for Directive 8020 has sparked curiosity among the community, but it’s too early to say anything about why things unfolded the way they did. While it's unclear if this shift was planned or an improvisation, the new trailers suggest that The Casting of Frank Stone will maintain the same suspense and horror elements that the community enjoyed in TDPA Season 1.

Whether there will be a post-credit scene or an Easter egg linking The Casting of Frank Stone to Directive 8020 remains to be seen, although it's unlikely, since they don't share a universe. Until then, the community has another narrative-focused game to look forward to regardless. In the meantime, the gap in releases could mean that TDPA Season 2 will have a mix of more fleshed-out narratives, since Supermassive is providing something of a stopgap ahead of TPDA's return with games like The Casting of Frank Stone.

The Casting of Frank Stone Needs to Nail One of Supermassive's Recurring Mechanics
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The Studio's Tradition of Post-Credit Scenes Could Come With a Surprise

Games in the Dark Pictures Season 1 have long followed a tradition of post-credit scenes or significant incidents that hint at future installments. For instance, the first game in the series, Man of Medan's post-credit scene hints at the next game in the anthology, Little Hope. In the scene, players witness a mysterious figure who appears to be analyzing the events of Man of Medan, and that's exactly what sets the stage for the overarching narrative thread that ties the anthology together.

The Casting of Frank Stone could follow a similar pattern but twist things on its head, instead using any post-credit sequences or mechanical changes to hint at how TDPA Season 2 might differ from the first season. Supermassive has already said that the game will differ from its usual fare in some big ways, so how The Casting of Frank Stone handles its story structure might say a lot about TPDA's future.